I realise that we can’t have profoundly interesting and meaningful conversations all the time. It’s not possible. You can’t bump into a friend and say ‘Hi Chris, isn’t the theory of relativity brilliant?’, or have a good old natter about nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopies over a cup of tea and a sticky bun – but recently I have noticed that, in general, people don’t really say anything.
During my current temporary contracting work at the NHS, I overheard the following conversation between two girls in the office:
Girl 1: Hi, you okay?
Girl 2: Yeah good, you okay?
Girl 1: Yeah, you?
Girl 2: Yeah thanks, you all right?
Girl 1: Yeah cool, you?
Girl 2: Fine, yeah, how are you?
Girl 1: Yeah, good thanks, how’s it going?
Girl 2: Yeah, really well, thanks.
Girl 1: Great.
Girl 1 then left, obviously exhausted by the weight of establishing that they were both fine. It was a conversation by two people who have nothing to say to each other because secretly they despise the other’s face.
Two women on the train yesterday had a particularly pointless conversation about something indecipherable:
Woman 1: I mean, you know, it’s just, kind of, I don’t know.
Woman 2: Oh, I know.
Woman 1: I suppose it’s just, you know.
Woman 2: Yeah, totally, that’s right.
Woman 1: I’m not sure why but, I mean, I can’t, kind of, not really.
Woman 2: Oh no, of course, I mean, you know, you can’t.
Woman 1: No. I just can’t, it’s just, things, it’s like, I dunno.
Woman 2: Yep.
What was the point in that?
You’d think I’d be desperate to know what it was the first woman couldn’t do. I wasn’t. It was such a pointless conversation it peeved me, and I may even have rolled my eyes in a my-conversations-have-so-much-more-point-than-yours kind of way. I mean, you know.
BECKY SAYS THINGS 
I’ve heard this conversation, or one very like it. Were we on the same train? Judith
Hahah, I can’t believe it can be that baaad. I’ve some similar conversations so maybe I just stop listening by the time they’re over (if they can me in fact over).
In an impulsive attempt not to be pointless myself, I just realised that when people use “I mean”, “you know”, “kind of” and “I guess” a lot in their speech (even when they’re actually saying something and more often than not something meaningful), they don’t really trust their own words. It just gives out so much insecurity in that person that you start doubting their words. Have you ever had that feeling when talking/listening to someone?
Unquestionably believe that which you said. Your favorite reason seemed to be on the web the simplest
thing to be aware of. I say to you, I certainly get annoyed while people think about worries that they
plainly do not know about. You managed to hit the
nail upon the top as well as defined out the whole thing without having side-effects , people can take a signal.
Will probably be back to get more. Thanks
Thank you! Thanks for dropping by 🙂